


A language only they speak

by Bellakitse



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22536622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellakitse/pseuds/Bellakitse
Summary: “It was these," he gestures with a tip of his chin, a silly grin on his face. “These hotter than they should be eyebrows of yours, they give away everything you’re thinking."*TK and Carlos are learning to speak each other's language.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star)/TK Strand
Comments: 41
Kudos: 719





	A language only they speak

**Author's Note:**

> Anon asked for: I'd love to see something featuring Carlos's very expressive eyebrows and TK noticing/saying something about it!
> 
> So here we are.

Carlos Reyes sits in the Strand household with the youngest Strand, and two of his fellow firefighters: Paul Strickland and Mateo Chavez. There are poker chips thrown in the middle of the table, peanuts in colorful bowls, a cold beer at his side, and a truly shit set of cards in his hand. Paul and Mateo have already folded this round, leaving Carlos to challenge TK, who has been on a hot streak all night.

He looks up from his sad pair of two’s to find TK staring at him with a smirk on his face that shows just how amused he is. Carlos is both annoyed and aroused by it, wanting simultaneously to wipe it off TK’s face and lean over the table and kiss him until he’s breathless.

“Any time you’re ready officer,” TK starts, his amusement seeming to grow with each passing second. “We can’t wait all day just for you to lose _again_ ,” he continues like the brat he is, making Mateo snort into his beer, while Paul shakes his head, a smile on his own face as he turns to look at Carlos.

“Come on, man,” Paul urges him. “You can’t keep letting him win.”

“I’m not letting him _win_ anything,” he complains. He _wishes_ he was letting TK win, that wouldn’t be as much of a blow to his ego. The cute little punk has been wiping the floor with all of them, but mostly Carlos all night.

“Okay, enough stalling,” TK says with a lazy wave of his hand. “Pony up or fold, cowboy.”

Carlos narrows his eyes at him, trying to ignore the lick of fire burning in his belly when TK’s tongue pokes at the corner of his mouth as he continues to grin. Letting out a defeated sigh, he puts his cards on the table, ignoring Paul and Mateo’s boos. Instead, he focuses on TK, unable to help the smile that covers his face at how happy TK looks as he pulls the winning chips towards himself.

“How?” he questions, not understanding, there’s luck, and then there’s _this_ , he hasn’t been able to win a single hand against TK all night.

TK doesn’t answer him; he just throws his head back and laughs, leaving Carlos breathless as he stares at him. He should try to be subtle, make the heart eyes less obvious, but Carlos can’t help it. Tyler Kennedy Strand is the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.

“Damn, man, you’re ruthless,” Paul shakes his head again. “Can’t even let your man win _one_?”

Carlos holds his breath at Paul’s words, even though everyone in TK’s crew knows about them.

They don’t exactly hide that they’re seeing each other, but Carlos can’t help but worry when one of their friends comments on them, afraid it will make the gun shy TK rabbit.

TK shrugs the comment off.

“All’s fair in love and poker,” he says easily, like the word love doesn’t send Carlos’ pathetically soft heart racing. He feels his face go hot when Paul does his thing and catches on to the fact that he’s been left on uneven ground over such a throw-away line.

The man’s gaze is all-knowing, his smirk fond.

“Okay, _well_ ,” he starts, shooting Carlos another look. “I’m tired of losing to this white boy, so I say Mateo and I head out, the night is young and so are we,” He continues as he stands.

Carlos avoids looking at TK, though he catches the quick look he sends his way before he focuses on their friends. Mateo looks confused about leaving even as he stands, and if Carlos had any doubt that Paul is ushering them out for his benefit, the quick whisper Paul shoots the young guy of _‘read the room probie,’_ is enough to squash those doubts.

He has to admire the man’s efficiency. Within minutes he has himself and Mateo in their jackets and out the door, declaring a rematch is due for a later date as they go, leaving Carlos and TK still in their seats and with a thick cloud of tension hanging between them.

TK clears his throat, drawing Carlos’ attention back, his green eyes focused steadily on him. “Carlos…” he starts softly.

“I’ll help clean up,” he interrupts with something that passes for a smile on his face.

He grabs beer bottles and bowls of food, heading into TK’s kitchen. He tries to think of a way to get rid of the sudden weirdness between them, silently calling himself an idiot for even letting it develop.

TK didn’t mean anything by using the word love, he was just joking.

It’s too soon to even think of the word, he’s not even sure if he can call TK his boyfriend yet. Sure, they’re not seeing anyone else but each other, and they don’t just jump into bed anymore. They go on dates. They spend their days off, either just the two of them as Carlos shows TK all Austin has to offer, or they hang out with the team.

It’s nice, _more_ than nice.

Being with TK, having his attention is more than Carlos could ever want, and he’s trying very hard not to ask for more than what TK is ready to give him. It's just not that easy to stick with the plan of fun and casual when his heart beats to a unique rhythm just for TK alone.

He and TK move around the kitchen silently and efficiently as they clean up. Once the beer bottles are placed in the recycling bin, and there's nothing left to tidy up, Carlos turns to face TK, not surprised to find the firefighter watching him. He's felt TK’s eyes on him as they cleaned the whole time.

He gives him a small smile, grateful that TK returns it.

TK walks towards him, and when he offers his hand to Carlos, he takes it, letting TK lead him out of the kitchen back towards the living room's massive brown leather couch. He lets out a small chuckle that turns into a sound of appreciation as TK drops on his lap, his knees on either side of Carlos’s thighs.

_"Hmm,"_ he hums as TK's fingers tug the hairs at the base of his neck, tilting Carlos’ head back to give himself room as he starts to press soft kisses against Carlos’ skin.

"This is nice," he murmurs as TK licks around his Adam's apple, his hands jerk and squeeze TK's meaty thighs when TK bites down at the base of his jaw.

"Just licking your wounds after losing so badly at poker," TK teases as he pulls back to look at Carlos, his eyes are bright and his lips are slick and cherry red from the work he’s been doing on Carlos’ neck.

Carlos laughs in an effort to hide the way his heart trips all over itself at how blissed out TK already looks.

"You're _so_ kind," he jokes, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me just how you beat me so many times? No one is that good at poker."

TK chuckles as he lifts his hand from where it rests on the back of Carlos’ neck, and with a soft touch of his thumb, he traces Carlos' left eyebrow.

“It was these," he gestures with a tip of his chin, a silly grin on his face. “These hotter than they _should be_ eyebrows of yours, they give away everything you’re thinking. Every time you had a good hand, every time you had a bad one, they gave you away.”

Carlos raises his eyebrows again, feeling warm all over as TK lets out another soft, delighted laugh. “I didn’t know they were so expressive.”

TK shrugs, he takes his thumb off his eyebrow to pet down Carlos’ cheeks, his blunt nails softly raking his two-day-old beard. It sends shivers through Carlos, and he tightens his hold on TK’s hips, pulling him flush against him. The action makes TK close his eyes, and when he speaks, he sounds a little breathless. “You just have to know how to read them.”

Carlos brings his hands to TK’s back, going under his shirt, his fingers tracing the knots of TK’s spine, feeling the way TK trembles under his hand. “And you can read them, huh?” he questions, his voice low and rough with want.

TK opens his eyes slowly; they’re a darker shade of green than usual as they hold a promise for the rest of the night, and Carlos feels his body react to it, hardening as he anticipates the moment when he gets to sink into TK’s body.

“I spend a lot of time looking at you,” TK whispers back as he licks his lips. “I’ve gotten good at it.”

Carlos holds his breath, picking up what TK isn’t saying.

It’s slow coming, but he’s learning to understand _‘TK speak’_ and can hear what isn’t being said, and he thinks maybe, just _maybe_ the word _love_ isn’t too far away after all.

His face or his _eyebrows_ must be speaking to TK again, because the younger man lets out a gasp and when Carlos meets his gaze, he finds bright green eyes staring back at him, a small but happy smile on his lips, before he can question it, TK closes the space between them.

The kiss he gives Carlos is achingly soft.

And if Carlos thinks _‘I love you.’_

Then TK’s kisses feel like _‘Me too.’_

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [tumblr](https://bellakitse.tumblr.com/), come and say hi.


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